


Red Dragonflies

by zia2345



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Birth, Childbirth, Death in Childbirth, Established Relationship, F/M, Loss of Parent(s), One Shot, Parent Death, Pregnancy, Songfic, lullaby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:07:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27904213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zia2345/pseuds/zia2345
Summary: Yûyake koyake no akatomboOwarete miteno wa itsu no hi ka~~~~~~She didn't get to know what it felt like for long, but she got to know it for a little while.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Zelink - Relationship
Kudos: 25





	Red Dragonflies

**Author's Note:**

> This is not a happy fic. This is not fluff. Please read the tags. 
> 
> The song is called Aka Tombo, or Red Dragonfly. I suggest giving it a listen, it's really good!

_Zelda was curled up next to her mother. She could hear the screaming outside the small crawl space they were hiding in. Her mother was rubbing her golden hair, trying to comfort her._

_“Mama, I’m-” Her mother quickly shushed her._

_“It’ll be okay, I swear,” Her mother whispered. Zelda felt tears leaking down her cheeks as she sobbed. Her mother’s hands were wet. She had spilled her fancy juice on her dress._

_Silly mommy._

_“Why are they screaming?”_

_“Don’t listen to them,” Her mama said, placing a kiss on her head. The room was pitch black. Zelda couldn’t see a single thing. She heard a soft tune come from her mother’s lips._

_“Yûyake koyake no akatombo~”_

_Her voice was soft, but it was so comforting to Zelda. It was her favorite lullaby._

_“Owarete miteno wa itsu no hi ka…”_

_Zelda felt her eyes close as the screaming began to fade. Her mother kept singing. Her kept shaking, and she would take small breaks, but it was there, and Zelda hung onto it like it was her only lifeline._

_“Yûyake koyake no akatombo~”_

_Zelda closed her eyes completely. Her mother’s voice was dying, fading away into the darkness that was this room._

_“Tomatte iru yo, sao no….”_

_Zelda waited._

_There was one more word._

_She waited._

_And waited._

_And waited._

_But it never came._

_~~~~~_

Zelda’s face was covered in sweat. There was so much blood. Link was trying to tell her that it was okay, and that everything would be fine, but Zelda knew. She was terrified. She had never seen this much blood in her life. 

_“_ You’re doing great,” Link whispered in her ear. “You’re doing amazing.” 

Zelda choked back a sob, trying to stay calm. She wasn’t afraid of death. Death didn’t scare her anymore. 

“Is…” Zelda tried to say. _Is she okay?_

“Just a bit more, and everything will be okay,” Link whispered. “Are you ready?” 

_No._

Zelda bore down, pushing with all her might. She was squeezing Link’s hand so hard, she was sure she was going to break it. She felt like she was splitting in half. She counted to ten before falling back down into the pillows. 

_I can’t…._

“You’re doing so good, Just a bit more.” 

She felt a washcloth on her head, wiping away her sweat. There were so many words being said by midwives and various other people, but she couldn’t understand. She opened her eyes just enough to see them discussing something. 

_No…_

“What’s-” 

“It’ll be okay, I swear,” Link said to her, squeezing her hand. “You’re doing just fine. You need to push a few more times.” 

Zelda knew when Link lied. He would always look at the source of the lie, never the person he spoke to. He was looking between her legs, and Zelda knew something was wrong. 

“You’re lying,” She said, her voice hoarse. “Please…” 

“It’ll be okay,” Link said, looking directly at her. “Just a bit more.” 

Zelda felt tears leaking down her cheek as she pushed again. She felt a stretching sensation, followed by what felt like a rip. It was the most painful thing she had ever experienced. She couldn’t stop the cries of pain escaping her. She fell back down, exhausted. 

“I can see…” She vaguely heard Link say. “I can see...one more.” 

_One more push._

Zelda bore down one more time. She felt a tugging sensation along with that same ripping. She felt fatigue set in, but she didn’t stop. If she layed back down, she wasn’t getting back up. She kept pushing until she heard a cry. 

It was like a gurgling noise. A mix between a sob and a choke. It was small, high-pitched, and whiny.

It was perfect. 

Zelda flopped back down, exhausted. She heard Link talking, but she didn’t care. She was focused on one thing. Through the blurs of her vision, she could see a baby being wiped down. She was crying, and that crying was the only thing she could hear. 

It was a girl. 

A little girl. 

_Her_ little girl. 

Zelda barely processed the moments from where she was looking at her to holding her. 

“Hello…” Zelda whispered to the small person in her arms. There was an entire being cradled against her chest. Her cheeks were redder than a rose, and her skin was softer than the finest pillows. 

_Dragonflies, as red as sunset, back when I was young_

She was okay. She would be fine. 

Zelda could...close her eyes... _right_?

If...if this was the last thing she ever saw...she would be okay... _right?_

_When did I behold them as my mother carried me along_

“She’s so beautiful,” She heard Link whisper. Zelda let out a soft chuckle. The world around her was chaos. People were scrambling, trying to stop the bleeding, but Zelda didn’t care. The chaos slowly crawled to a stop. There was too much. She saw tears rolling down Link’s face. 

“I love you,” Link whispered, placing a kiss on Zelda’s forehead. “I love you both.” 

Zelda gave a weak smile. She looked at her daughter. She started humming a soft melody. 

_Dragonflies, as red as sunset,_

_Back when I was young_

_In twilight skies, there on_

_her back I’d ride_

_When the day was done_

_Mountain fields, in late November_

_Long ago it seems_

_Mulberry trees and treasures we would gather_

_Was it only just a dream?_

_Dragonflies, as red as sunset,_

_Back when I was young_

_Now in my eyes, when I see dragonflies_

_Tears are always sure to come._

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I may take this concept and turn it into a longer fic, but who knows? 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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